Broken Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  “She’s in Egypt?” Jet exclaimed. “I thought she’d be in Iceland.”

  “We’re the ones interested in Iceland,” Carter said.

  “Why Egypt?” Jet asked.

  “She’s dated sons of Pharaohs and befriended Egyptian princesses,” Carter said. “Maybe that’s where she feels most at home.”

  I studied the map. “What’s in northern Egypt?”

  He leaned over and narrowed his eyes. “The only thing I know of in that area are rumors—springs and some hidden tombs. Other than that, just desert.”

  “Springs,” I muttered. Why did that sound familiar?

  The others spoke of the possibilities, but I couldn’t let go of the thought that the springs meant something. There had to be a good reason it struck a chord.

  Darrell wiped some green from the outside of the pot. “Some people believe the ancient rulers give sage advice and may even predict the future. Perhaps your valkyrie—”

  “Wait!” I sat up straight. “Right before my father threatened our pack, Soleil said something about an ancient healing spring. Remember, at the welcoming ceremony? She said it might help us with the curse of the moon. Could she have gone there?”

  “To heal her broken heart,” Carter said.

  “That has to be it,” Jet agreed.

  I turned to Darrell. “Can you get us there?”

  He pulled out a pad of paper, wrote something down, and handed it to me. It was a phone number above the name of an airline.

  “Funny.”

  Darrell moved Soleil’s items from the map. “My magic is powerful, but it isn’t that powerful.”

  “Gessilyn’s coven?” Jet arched a brow.

  “They’re going to be sleeping for the next two or three days.” I frowned.

  “May as well take a plane,” Carter said.

  “Not with Victoria’s obsession with the stone. There’s no time to book a flight and wait, what, a day to get there?”

  “Probably,” Darrell said. “Assuming you don’t have too many layovers.”

  I groaned. “I’m going to have to call the witches. Hopefully one of them has a rune close to the spring.” I gathered Soleil’s things and rose.

  “Don’t forget to pay my assistant on your way out.” Darrell folded the map. “It’s twice as much because of the rare ingredients.”

  “No problem. Thanks, Darrell.”

  We headed downstairs, I paid the bill, and we went out into the chilly air.

  “Back to Moonhaven?” Jet asked.

  I tossed him my keys. “You drive. I have some calls to make.”

  We headed to the Hummer and I sat in the back, already calling Frida before we pulled out of the spot. It went to voicemail. I debated leaving a message, but decided against it. She’d see the missed call, plus she already knew I wanted to talk with them.

  A moment later my phone rang. Roska. The youngest of the magical siblings.

  I answered immediately. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Toby. I saw you tried to call Frida. She’s sleeping. Do you guys need something I can help with?”

  “As always. You don’t happen to have a rune placed in northern Egypt?”

  “Egypt…” She paused. “I don’t, but there has to be one nearby. Rune magic was at its height of popularity in the days Pharaohs reigned. I can do some digging. I’d bet money I can get you close to where you need.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be wonderful.”

  “It could be a day or more if there are only runes created by other covens—especially if those covens have been killed off. It’ll be more challenging to get those.”

  I pushed aside my frustrations. Maybe booking a flight was my best option. “Thanks, Roska. I really appreciate your help. You’ll call me as soon as you know anything?”

  “You bet. Bye.”

  “Bye.” I ended the call and sighed.

  “Not what you wanted to hear?” Jet asked.

  “It’s too soon to tell. If someone in their coven has a rune in the area, we’ll be fine. If not, we may as well start packing our carry-ons.”

  Someone’s phone rang.

  “Hello?” Jet said. “She’s what?”

  “What?” I demanded. “Who?”

  Jet swore. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “What’s wrong?” Carter exclaimed.

  “Ziamara’s in labor—”

  “We’re almost home,” I said.

  “At the castle,” Jet finished.

  “What castle?” Carter asked.

  “The Fyrsturae castle,” Jet and I said in unison.

  Jet turned to me. “Victoria’s with her.”

  “In the vampire castle?”

  “She drove her.”

  Of course Victoria had looked past her own safety to help a friend. I just hoped no visiting vampires would give her any trouble.

  Chapter 8

  Victoria

  I stared helplessly as the doctor carried Ziamara out of sight, followed by the queen and an entourage of other vampires. Everything in me wanted to go with her to make sure she’d be okay, but the vampires wanted me to wait in the hall. I knew they cared about her, too, but that didn’t stop me from worrying about my friend.

  Once the hallway quieted, my senses picked up hostility. Not moving, I glanced around. Half a dozen vampires stood within striking distance.

  “What are you doing here, wolf?” demanded a woman with an accent I couldn’t place.

  Taking a deep breath, I straightened my back and stared into her eyes. “I brought the queen’s daughter here. Do you have a problem with that?”

  She stared back, but didn’t say anything.

  “Anyone else want to challenge me?”

  Nobody spoke up.

  “Good.” I walked over to a sitting area and stood in front of a roaring fire. It was at least the fifth fireplace I’d seen in the castle. Despite the warmth coming from the flames, I could feel the icy glares coming from the vampires.

  My phone rang. I silenced the sound immediately, not wanting any additional attention, and checked the screen. It was Toby.

  I accepted the call. “Hi, Toby.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, it’s Ziamara—”

  “You’re at the vampire castle. Nobody’s giving you any trouble, are they?”

  I glanced over at the vampires still lingering where I’d been. “No. The doctor just whisked Ziamara away, and I’m keeping warm in front of a fireplace.”

  “Do you want me to rush over there? I will.”

  My heart warmed. “As much as I’d love to see you, don’t worry about it. My car isn’t far away if I need to get away.”

  “Jet’s about to leave, so all you have to do is say the word.”

  “Well, I’ll stay until he gets here. Then I’ll head back to see you.”

  “That sounds like a good plan. One of us will be at the castle with Ziamara. We found a lead on Soleil.”

  “You did?” I exclaimed. “Where is she?”

  “Egypt. I think at that healing spring she told us about not long ago.”

  “Oh, good. I was so worried.”

  A pretty vampire with long black hair came over to me. “Are you Ziamara’s friend?”

  “Toby, I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I ended the call and looked into the vampire’s emerald eyes. “Yes, Ziamara is part of my pack.”

  She smiled and threw her arms around me. It took me a moment to recover. I returned the embrace. She stepped back. “I’m her cousin, Hale.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Victoria. How is she?”

  “I don’t know yet, but the doctors here are the best in the world. And if for some reason they can’t help, my aunt has sent for a couple ancient witches and some prophets.”

  “Prophets?”

  “The Fyrsturae like to be prepared.”

  “I guess. Well, as long
as she’s being taken care of.”

  She glanced over at the vampires who hadn’t budged, all still watching me. “Why don’t we go for a walk? Get away from those guys.”

  “Sure.” I felt far more comfortable with Hale than them. She led me down a long hallway in the opposite direction. “What’s their problem?”

  “Ancient vampires can’t accept the new ways of getting along with other species—and those ones go way back. You’ve heard of Pompeii?”

  “The city destroyed by a volcano?”

  Hale nodded. “They sensed danger and fled. Now they’re here to be all judgy to you.”

  “Lucky me. Where are we going?” I tried to study things as we walked, but it was impossible. Everything was so fancy, even the molding near the floor had intricate carvings. Paintings and statues decorated the long hallway just like every other hallway I’d seen.

  “We’re going to my aunt and uncle’s wing. That way we’ll be close when Ziamara’s ready to see you.”

  “Hopefully, her husband will be here by then. I’m sure she wants to see Jet far more than me.”

  “Another werewolf is coming? This is going to be a much livelier visit than I’d anticipated.”

  “You don’t live here?”

  She shook her head. “You know Eylin, right?”

  I nodded. “The king and queen’s daughter. She helped us fight a terrible pack.”

  Hale shuddered. “She told me about that. I’m glad you’re okay. Anyway, my family lives with hers on a tropical island.” She spoke about their young kids, and I tried to pay attention, but found myself intrigued by everything I saw.

  “How old is the castle?” I stopped and stared at a statue of a man wearing battle armor. It looked familiar. I tried to figure out why I would’ve seen it.

  “Over three thousand years old. The original vampires had it built—each one has their own wing. They all—”

  “Do they steal famous artwork? This statue—I learned about it in school. It was said to have been lost forever.”

  She cleared her throat. “Our kind preserves art. This was nearly destroyed in an earthquake.” She gestured to a painting. “And this one was saved from a fire.”

  My mouth gaped. I’d seen that one in history books, too. “People would go crazy if they knew about this place.”

  “They never will. Not inside an enchanted forest.”

  I stared at her. “No one has tried to get in?”

  “They can’t even see it.”

  “The woods?”

  “Humans have no idea it’s here. They see some kind of illusion. Come on.”

  My feet didn’t move. I tried to imagine what people would see. The woods had been as clear as anything else when Ziamara and I had walked over to them after leaving the fancy parking garage. The only thing more magnificent than the creatures in the woods—unicorns and faeries, to name a couple—had been the enormous, looming castle.

  She looped her arm through mine. “There’s much more interesting stuff to look at in Uncle Alre’s wing.”

  “How old are the original vampires?”

  “Not much older than the castle. They were pretty young when they had it built. Uncle Alre…” Her voice trailed off.

  A group of people were gathered together, speaking in hushed tones.

  I turned to Hale. “What’s going on?”

  “Stay here. I’ll find out.” She hurried over to the group and spoke with a gorgeous blonde vampire wearing an elegant light blue and brown gown.

  There were too many people talking, I couldn’t hear Hale’s conversation. I turned to the wall and studied another painting. No, this one was a map—an old one from the looks of it. The edges were frayed and yellowing. It was of Iceland, but the terrain was far different than any other map I’d ever seen. It was labeled with things like enchanted forests, lakes full of dangerous nokken, and the locations of various other supernatural creatures.

  My breath hitched when I found werewolves written near some caves by a cliff with mermaids below. Could that be where we had originated? And even more importantly, could the wolf essence stone by near those caves? If they were still there, three thousand years later.

  I wanted to snap a picture, but had a feeling that wasn’t allowed—especially not by a werewolf. I stared at the map until the image was burned into my memory. All I needed was to figure out a way to get to Iceland. Rune travel would be the quickest but would require a witch who knew how to use them. From what Gessilyn’s coven had said, it was pretty rare these days, and unfortunately, her family was so busy lately. I’d also heard about underground tunnels that led to every major city in the world—and there was supposed to be an entrance near this very castle.

  “You really like that map.” Hale put her hand on my shoulder.

  I jumped. “Does this show where all the species came from?”

  “Not all, but most.”

  “But it’s where the listed ones originated.”

  She leaned closer. “Right.”

  My pulse raced, making me dizzy. I had to get there. A rib popped.

  “Are you okay?” Hale’s dark green eyes widened.

  I would be once I found a way to Iceland.

  Chapter 9

  Toby

  My phone rang. It was Roska. Maybe she had already discovered a rune near the spring.

  I accepted the call. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Toby. You’re in luck. My father knew of a rune in that area. Turns out he needed it once before. He can take you in about an hour.”

  “That’s the best news all day. Thank you so much for checking into that for me.”

  “Glad to help. Good luck!” The call ended.

  I sent Victoria a quick text.

  Will you be okay if I go to Egypt to find Soleil? Johan has a rune in the area.

  Perfect! Yeah, I’m fine. Waiting to hear about Zia.

  Let me know.

  I will. Love you.

  You too.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Both Ziamara and Victoria were in good hands with Marguerite nearby. Soon, I’d find Soleil, and our entire pack would be accounted for—possibly with a new member if Ziamara had the baby.

  It was time to prepare for a trip to Egypt. I hurried into the kitchen and drank a few glasses of water. I’d need to be hydrated, especially if Johan’s rune was a distance from the spring. Trekking through the desert was new territory for me.

  I glanced down at my thick jeans and sweater. Those had to go. I hurried upstairs and dug through my closet and drawers until I found shorts and a light shirt buried behind all my warm stuff.

  When I got downstairs, Bobby, one of our younger members, gave me a double take. “Doin’ some sort of challenge?”

  “Going to the desert.” I headed back to the kitchen for more water.

  Bobby followed me. “Why?”

  “I think Soleil’s there.”

  He arched a brow. “If she wanted to come back home, don’t you think she would?”

  “Not if she doesn’t know what’s going on.” I downed a full glass of water.

  “Maybe it’s too much for her to see your wedding. I mean, she was engaged to Brick. She might just need to hide out until after that.”

  I poured more water. “There’s more going on than just that.”

  Footsteps sounded from the hall. “Toby?” Johan called.

  Relief washed through me. “We’re in the kitchen!”

  He came in, wearing all light-colored clothes and a safari hat. “Are you ready?”

  “Let me just have another glass of water.”

  “He’s gonna turn into a camel,” Bobby said.

  “That’s good,” Johan said. “Ever been in real heat?”

  Bobby shook his head.

  I drank another glass of water. “I need to grab a hat, too. Anything else you can think of?”

  “Bring something of Soleil’s if you have it. It’ll help to run a locator spell once we’re there.”

  “Okay.
Give me a couple minutes.” I gestured to the fridge. “Help yourself.”

  Five minutes later, we were set.

  “Can you show me on a map where the locator spell showed her to be?” Johan asked.

  I pulled out my phone and brought up a map of Egypt. “It was right about here.” I pointed to the spot that had been revealed at Darrell’s.

  “Good. I have an old rune maybe five miles from there.”

  “We’re going to walk five miles in the desert?” I exclaimed. “I need to pack water.”

  “Nonsense. There will be plenty of modern conveniences. We’ll be fine.” Johan led me to the big mirror in the main living area. He put his hand on my shoulder and spoke in a foreign language. A diamond shape decorated with intricate designs lit up on the glass.

  “Close your eyes.”

  I did. A soft breeze blew around us, and I felt dizzy. The air around us became heavy and hot. It felt like it was fifty degrees warmer and humid—at least compared to what I was used to with the bite of winter’s snow.

  I opened my eyes. We stood in a building made of stone in front of a dirty, cracked mirror. “Where are we?”

  “This used to be the home of someone I knew many years ago. He’s long gone, now.”

  Footsteps sounded on the tile.

  I stared at Johan.

  “Follow me.” He darted down a narrow hallway. I hurried to catch up. We ran through the twists and turns of several halls. The footsteps behind us grew louder. Someone shouted something I couldn’t understand.

  We came to a door. Johan threw it open, and we ran outside. It had to be another twenty degrees hotter. Sweat broke out along my hairline. A man ran outside behind us, now shouting and shaking his fist at us.

  “This way,” Johan called. We ran to the right and came to a busy market. He disappeared into the crowd. I did the same and took a moment to find him. It was even warmer among all the people.

  I gasped for air and wiped my eyebrows. “Is rune travel always like that?”

  He glanced around. “I think we lost him. No, it’s not always that exciting, but when a rune hasn’t been used in a while, you don’t always know what you’ll find. I’ve ended up in completely different places than expected because someone moved a mirror. It keeps life interesting.”